He said: "The Canadian detainee who was released a few days earlier hurled accusations against the Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate alleging - may Allah forbid - that his child was killed and honour violated.

"We categorically reject these false and fabricated claims of the detainees who are in the hands of the enemy.

"The murder of a child is... a baseless allegation although during a period of detention an incident did take place when the woman became ill.

"The area was remote, no doctors were present and due to this severe condition, the woman had a natural miscarriage of a girl.

"No one has either intentionally murdered the child of this couple and neither has anyone violated or defiled them."

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Video:Freed hostage tells of Taliban 'evil' during captivity

Mr Boyle and his wife were kidnapped while on a trip in Afghanistan's Wardak province.

Ms Coleman, 31, was "heavily pregnant" at the time and gave birth to four children while being held prisoner.

The couple arrived in Toronto with three children, one of whom had suffered a "medical emergency", according to Mr Boyle, in the aftermath of what reports said was a gun battle in Pakistan on Wednesday.

Mr Boyle said from his parents' home in Smiths Falls, Ontario, that full medical exams were being arranged for him and his family.

The 34-year-old added that they had "reached the first true 'home' that the children have ever known after they spent most of Friday asking if each subsequent airport was our new house hopefully".

Speaking at the city's airport on Saturday morning, UK time, Mr Boyle provided few details about exactly what had happened in Afghanistan but said the death of his daughter and his wife's rape occurred in 2014.

He told reporters: "The stupidity and evil of the Haqqani network's kidnapping of a pilgrim and his heavily pregnant wife engaged in helping ordinary villagers in Taliban-controlled regions of Afghanistan was eclipsed only by the stupidity and evil of authorising the murder of my infant daughter."

Image:The Taliban's statement on Joshua Boyle's

The Haqqani group is headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is also the Afghan Taliban's deputy leader.

While the family were being held, the Haqqani network demanded the release of the son of its founder in exchange for turning them over, and released several videos in which Mr Boyle pleaded with the Afghan authorities.

US officials have long accused Pakistan of ignoring groups like the Haqqani network.

In a video released overnight by Pakistan's military, filmed before Mr Boyle and his family left the country, the Canadian recounts the conclusion of the firefight that led to his freedom.

Mr Boyle says: "A major comes over to me while I still have blood on me. The street is chaos and he says to me, 'In the American media they say that we support the Haqqani network and that we make it possible. Today you have seen the truth."

Mr Boyle added: "And so I can say to you I did see the truth, and the truth was that car was riddled with bullets.

"The ISI (Pakistan's intelligence agency) and the army got between the criminals and the car to make sure the prisoners were safe and my family was safe. They put them to flight and they ran like cowards. This is proof enough to me the Pakistanis are doing everything to their utmost."